Is steam good for your hair?

The steam process I am familiar with involves putting some conditioner on your hair, massage it in, and cover with a towel. Then you go under a steaming device that opens the hair shaft allowing the conditioner to penetrate better and add moisture. This procedure works well and is generally used as a treatment for dry hair. Steam rollers will produce a good strong curl and, if used with a conditioning liquid, not harm your hair. Steam is also used to open and clean the pores of your skin.

As long as it isn`t so heavy that is pulls the hair down, it should work just fine. Happy curling!!

What kind of hair do you have? Steam rollers use moisture to lock in the set and are best for fine, colored and dry hair types, while hot rollers use dry heat and work best for coarse and resistant hair types. There are electric curler sets that offer both "heat and steam". No matter what type you use, I recommend using a permanent wave end paper wrapped around the ends to help smooth the ends around the curler and help protect the hair from direct contact with heat. Permanent wave "end papers" are available at most drug and beauty supply stores. For long lasting curls and waves I use Studio Style Quick Style Spray Gel combed through damp hair and then blow dry for volume. Quick Style Spray Gel is a fast drying, alcohol free styling gel mist with built in heat protection designed for all heat styling tools. For firm curly looks, part the hair into "thin sections" and mist the ends with Quick Style Spray Gel. This will give your hair a tight curl on the ends only. For a firm full wavy look, part the hair in "large sections" and mist the base with Quick Style Spray Gel. This will give your hair a wavy look with less curl on the ends. Be sure to let the curlers totally cool before removing them. If the curl is too tight or you want a more natural look, after removing the curlers, brush hair forward and back and lightly mist with the Spray Gel. Next use a styling brush and blow dryer to "relax" the curl or wave. The curls/waves should last all day.

Good advice from Budokan. A SMALL amount of spary gel should not weigh your hair down too much unless your hair is very fine. Is your hair part wavy and part straight? Doing a perm to even out the wave/curl is not a bad idea (I like body waves for this purpose). Since you highlight your hair, approach getting a perm with great caution. If the hot rollers aren`t giving you the curl you want, try putting your hair in rags and leaving them in all night. I have had great luck with this technique and the curls last a long time.

Tying hair in rags has been around for a long time. It is how they used to get those Shirley Temple sausage curls. The Wrap, Snap, and Go! curlers you see advertised on TV is based on the same principle. Marci`s Retro Style site has a nice discussion of the procedure: http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/2457/techniques.html The technique isn`t for everyone but I have gotten very nice results when I have used it.